Summit in Grantham will unveil new initiative to reduce road deaths in the county

Published: 10:05, 31 October 2017

Marc Jones.

Residents across the county will be given special training and radar guns in a new initiative designed to improve road safety in Lincolnshire.

Drivers caught speeding by the volunteers will be sent a warning letter and road safety advice under the new enhanced Community Speed Watch Scheme.

The project, instigated by Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones, will be officially unveiled at the county’s first ever Road Safety Summit on Friday (November 3) at Belton Woods Hotel, Grantham.

Speed Watch, started in 2014, currently operates in 170 of the 507 parishes across the county and largely involves placing portable speed notification signs in speeding hot spots.

The new improved Watch will see a vastly enhanced project, with local residents given appropriate training and radar guns to check the speed of passing motorists.

The project is just one of the initiatives being showcased at the summit, opened by the Minister of State for Transport John Hayes.

Other experts giving presentations at the event include officials from road safety charity Brake, the public health division of Lincolnshire County Council, officers from South Wales Police showcasing Operation Snap, advisers and analysts from Road Safety Analysis Ltd and Road Safety Support Ltd, and Lincolnshire own Road Safety Partnership.

Nearly 100 delegates from across the region will be in attendance at the event, organised by the PCC’s office in conjunction with Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership

Mr Jones said: “Although much good work has been done over the past decade to reduce the death toll on our roads it is a sad fact that there are still too many families devastated by the tragic loss of life.

“Despite a spike in lives lost last year it is important to remember that deaths have reduced by 50 per cent in the last decade – in no small measure due to the good work done by the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.

“But they cannot solve the problems alone and that is why I have called the summit. I am determined that we all learn from experience elsewhere, exploring innovation and seeing whether we can extend schemes that already have a proven track record.

“There will be no easy solutions but that should not stop us doing everything we can to keep our communities safe.